Legal Issues

Contractor Facing Jail Time For Katrina Ripoff

The gears of justice grind slowly, but eventually, sometimes the grits get done. In Louisiana this week, a jury convicted Texas ex-convict Malachi Crump of felony theft for fraudulent contracting in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which flooded New Orleans in 2005. The Baton Rouge Advocate has this report: ("Jury: Contractor guilty of preying on elderly after Katrina," by Claire Galofaro).

"A Texas contractor, out of prison on parole and never licensed in Louisiana, was convicted late Monday of stealing more than $100,000 from the elderly, desperate to rebuild the homes they lost to Hurricane Katrina," the paper reports. "Malachi Crump, 64, was found guilty in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court of three counts of felony theft, one for each family he swindled for tens of thousands of dollars each."

Crump took down payments and progress payments from the elderly owners, but vanished with the work half done (or un-done), the paper reports: "He did some work at some houses, nothing at all at others. He had a variety of excuses: his truck broke down, burglars stole doors off hinges, he had a heart attack, a relative was murdered. Then he disappeared when they started asking questions."